Freeze the print before you RFQ a China CNC plant
Most delayed samples are a moving drawing, not a weak mill. Lock revision, balloons and material heat before anyone quotes a first article.
Overseas buyers searching “CNC machining China RFQ” often send a STEP file and a note that says the 2D will follow. Plants then quote a ghost. CNCVerified publishes this checklist because our listings only help after the print is frozen. Written by CNCVerified. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
What “frozen” means on an RFQ
A frozen print has a revision letter, a date, and a named owner on the buyer side. GD&T that will be inspected is ballooned to the same CMM program the plant will run — not a screenshot of a 2D PDF. Material heat, hardness and grain direction are purchase requirements, not a WeChat afterthought.
If you cannot point to one file that both your engineer and the plant will open, the print is not frozen. Do not send an RFQ that says “latest 3D, we will update.”
What to attach with the packet
- PDF and native CAD at the same revision.
- Ballooned inspection list with instruments: CMM, height gauge, thread gauge.
- Material specification and mill-cert requirement.
- Sample quantity and annual volume, written as two numbers.
- Incoterms and destination port. Plants quote EXW Dongguan differently from DDP.
What to write in the RFQ notes
Revision, balloon count, sample qty, production qty, fixture reuse yes or no. If fixture reuse is no, the sample price is not the production price. Name the process you already filtered on CNCVerified: 5-axis, Swiss, gantry — not “CNC.”
After the first article
Record every deviation on a traveler that maps balloon to measured value to disposition. Bridge to production on the same fixture plan. Changing the vise between FAIR and lot 1 is how ±0.01 mm becomes ±0.05 mm on the next lot.
CNCVerified plant pages show process, control family and stated tolerance so you can pick a builder after the print is frozen — not before.
Questions buyers type into Search
Can I RFQ with only a 3D model?
You can send it. You will not get a comparable quote. Freeze a 2D with balloons first.
Who writes this guide?
CNCVerified, the English directory of China CNC machine-tool builders. We do not take a commission on the PO.